The Rise of Safetyism and Its Impact on Litigation

Presentation Details

Jurors’ tolerance for risk has reached new lows and their demands for safety have reached new highs. “Safetyism” is a mindset of unrealistically high expectations about product safety or corporate safety standards that can translate into corporate liability. Despite the fact that safetyism is rooted in thought fallacies, it is on the rise and has a profound effect on jury awards.

This timely session discusses the pervasive biases that lead to unreasonable expectations of safety and cause difficulties for your defense client. It also covers critical changes you must consider in your defense strategies to overcome this persistent mindset.

A senior jury consultant will share conclusions based on our team’s groundbreaking psychological research and offer advice on how to reduce the role of safetyism in juror decision-making. This innovative approach represents a first-of-its-kind effort in combating nuclear verdicts.

What You Will Learn

How to dissect safetyism as a juror mindset
Defense strategies to identify safetyist jurors
The data-driven science behind safetyism
Techniques to reduce safetyism and avoid runaway verdicts

Offered weekdays: in-person, virtual, or hybrid

CLE available for all US states: 1.0 credits

Speakers

Jill M. Leibold, PhD

Senior Jury Consulting Advisor

With more than 20 years of trial consulting experience, Dr. Jill Leibold has applied her expertise in juror decision-making to hundreds of cases across all genres of litigation.

Dr. Leibold specializes in developing statistically based juror risk profiles to identify jurors for cause and peremptory strikes during jury selection. She also applies qualitative analyses to inform the development of case stories and trial themes.
Keith C. Pounds, PhD

Jury Consulting Advisor

With nearly 20 years of litigation consulting experience, Dr. Keith Pounds is adept at helping trial teams identify and develop compelling case themes and presentation strategies.

He also specializes in providing quantitative and qualitative analysis through focus groups and mock trials, in addition to assisting clients with witness preparation, voir dire, and jury selection.
Jorge Monroy

Senior Jury Consultant

Jorge Monroy supports litigators by transforming jury research data into actionable trial strategies.

Specializing in statistical analysis and juror profiling, Jorge facilitates mock trials and focus groups, develops voir dire questions, and conducts social media analysis. His data-driven insights help counsel identify key juror traits and refine messaging for maximum impact.
Liz Babbitt

Jury Consultant

Liz Babbitt helps trial teams understand how jurors think, decide, and respond to courtroom narratives. With more than 20 years of experience in decision science and legal technology, she designs and leads jury research and voir dire strategies that translate data into compelling case themes.

Liz also brings a tech-forward approach, integrating AI tools and digital platforms that enable clients to achieve clarity and alignment even in the most complex litigation.